Up, Up, and Away in a Tramway

It's hard to believe that while lying poolside in 80 degree weather, or sweating it out in the bleachers of the BNP Paribas Open, a 10 minute tram ride will take you to a winter wonderland.  Well believe it!  It's just one of the secretive wonders that the Palm Springs area has to offer.  The Palms Springs Aerial Tramway boasts that it is the world's largest rotating tramcar and that as you ascend from 2,643 feet to 8,516 feet through Chino Canyon, the views are spectacular. 

I can't attest to the experience, but Rob and Spenser can.  Here is Buddy as he waited to board the tram.

Here is another vantage point that shows how the tramway is engineered.  I'm sure Spenser is thinking, "I'm going to get on that and go up there?"

Brave and adventurous boy that he is, here is what he got to see on his ride up.  It's not the best picture but keep in mind it was taken with a disposable camera as Mony had the digital camera with her at tennis.

The tram actually rotates as it ascends, I guess to provide a 360 degree view.  Spenser seems to be taking it all in.

Here are the guys atop the mountain. Whew!  They made it!

Can you believe this is what they found at the top?  S - N - O - W !

Well the winter wonderland was Spenser's spectacular spring break playground, so he went to work.  Rob said he spent over an hour trying to break the ice that formed over a stream.  Here is the boy at work.

Yes, I know the picture is landscape when it should be portrait, but no matter what I did I couldn't get it to work.  Darn disposable camera and Walgreen's photo software!  Ughh!  But it's important that you see the before and after shot.  The sideways picture is the 'before.'

Here is the 'after.'

Can you find Spenser? 

Time for some hiking!

Here is Buddy, carrying a tree up the mountain!  Just kidding, he's only hiking, using the tree as a rail.

Don't mean to leave Rob out.  He's there enjoying it all too!

As the pictures portray, you are definitely rewarded by taking the ride up the mountain.  The pristine wilderness offers fun year round, whether you're a summer or winter enthusiast.  From camping to hiking, or snowshoeing to fine-dining, this place has it all.  Maybe next time the girls will make the trip too. 

Spring Break

Spring has sprung here in Arizona and to kick it off we headed to the Palm Springs area to meet up with Papa and Papa Rose to enjoy tennis and casino/resort vacationing.  This time we tried a new hotel casino called Agua Caliente.  It was quite upscale as far as the decor and the quality of the rooms.  Let's start in the bathroom.

Any time there's a flat-screen television in the bathroom, you know it's fancy. Here's Spenser modeling the size of the bathtub.

And Spenser, channeling the 'thinking man.'

Here's another neat feature, tempting goodies in see through jars!  Of course to the Samours, those were just decorations.  Can you see the price of breaking one open?  Yikes!

Here are Papa Rose, Sienna, and Rob lounging poolside. 

Rob and Spenser doing the flex.

After enjoying the hotel amenities, we dined at the nearest Red Robin for dinner, then headed back to the hotel for cocktails and some gaming. 

On Monday Ray and Mony headed to tennis while Rob and Spenser ventured to the Arial Tramway.  Unfortunately Sienna was too sick to go either place, so she and Papa Rose spent the day at the hotel. 

The BNP never disappoints, and this year was no exception.  Although only there one day, I was able to watch a few matches and quite a bit of the pros at practice. 

This is Juan Martin Del Potro.  He won the U.S. Open in 2009.

This is Victoria Azarenka, pretty in pink.

This is Novak Djokovic, currently ranked #3 in the world.

This is Jo Wilfried Tsonga.

This is the man, Roger Federer.

And to top it all off, I also met up with my teammates from Cuesta.  It was a cool reunion.

After fun in the sun in Palm Desert, it was time to head back to Arizona, sans kids!  Sienna and Spenser are now spending the rest of their spring break on the Central Coast.  What lucky kids they are! 

Trophy Time

Spenser's first football season ended and his team came in 3rd place, a great effort for his first time.  All he wanted out of the season was to get a trophy, as he didn't like the feeling of finishing in 4th place in basketball, and missing a trophy by one spot.  YES!  A goal achieved!

So here's one last look at Flag Football Season 1 and Spenser's skills......

 

Here's the team celebrating an overtime win to clinch 3rd place.

Stay tuned, season 2 starts in April.